Housecleaning

By Debbie Lowe

“Yet, the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love ….”

Isaiah 30:18a

There seem to be two different philosophies on housecleaning: the “ongoing” philosophy and the “event” philosophy. Since opposites seem to attract, most households have one person in each philosophical camp. I can still hear my mother saying, “Pick it up!” (that thing, whatever it was, that always escaped the notice of my youthful eyes). I remember my father saying, “Put it back where it belongs.” Clearly, my parents beat the odds; they both lived in the same camp. I’m in the “ongoing” camp now, too.

My husband … not so much. For him, cleaning is an “event.” Once a certain degree of messiness is reached, the scales tip and the messy counter, desk or garage enjoys a cleaning “event” resulting in a transformed and pristinely neat counter, desk or garage. It’s a beautiful thing.

It occurred to me that some of us (my husband not included) approach our relationship with Jesus as an “event.” Days, weeks, or longer pass before there’s an “event” where we meet with Him. It may be as infrequent as a major holiday (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas) or as frequent as Sunday mornings. But between the “events” – regardless of their frequency – there is little “connecting,” little in the way of ongoing communication.

I have seen You sitting in a corner of my house, waiting to meet with me. You are very patient, but oh, the look of sadness in Your eyes when I trade our time together for another pursuit, for watching TV, hanging out on the internet, or hitting the snooze button one more time. I wouldn’t think of ignoring my husband, my (grown) children, or even the dog for days on end, but I have been guilty of slipping into “event” modality in my relationship with You.

Forgive me, Lord.

You long for so much more. In quiet moments, I realize my heart does, too. We both long for a depth of relationship that can only be realized by spending intimate, ”ongoing” time together. Help me remember that; help me choose to be faithful in our “ongoing” relationship.

DL 

Debbie Lowe is a blogger, speaker, and writer. Her desire is to encourage women to wholeheartedly trust God in every area of their lives. She has served in women’s ministries and as Deacon of Worship at Grace Fellowship Church in North Stonington, CT. Debbie and her husband have two grown daughters and nine grandchildren. She enjoys reading (especially at the beach) and playing in the dirt (aka, gardening). Visit Debbie online at debbielowe.org or on Facebook at Debbie Lowe - Life Lessons.

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